Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu is poised to ascend to the chief ministerial office of Andhra Pradesh once more, with the oath-taking ceremony anticipated on June 9, according to party insiders. The TDP-led coalition is on the brink of an overwhelming triumph, commanding a decisive lead in 158 out of 175 Assembly seats, positioning Naidu to reclaim the mantle of leadership in Andhra Pradesh.

At 74 years of age, this will mark Naidu’s fourth tenure as Chief Minister. He previously held the position from 1995 to 2004 in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. Notably, he became the inaugural Chief Minister of the truncated Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation in 2014. After a stinging defeat by the YSR Congress Party in 2019, Naidu has made a resounding comeback, buoyed by a wave of anti-incumbency sentiment.

The strategic alliance with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to have been pivotal. With TDP securing a commanding lead in 131 constituencies, the party has achieved an overwhelming majority independently. Naidu himself is leading in the Kuppam constituency, a seat he has represented since 1989. Additionally, his son and TDP general secretary, Nara Lokesh, is ahead in the Mangalagiri constituency, recovering from a previous electoral setback in the same segment.